Barbed wire



(No Model.)

H. B. SOUTT.

BARBED WIRE.

No. 332,755. Patented Dec. 22, 1885.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HIRAM B. SGUTT, OF JOLIET, ILLINOIS.

BARBED WIRE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent. No. 332,755, datedDecember 22, 1885.

Application filed September 14, 1885. Serial No. 177,009. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HIRAM B. SOUTT, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at J oliet, in the county of lVill and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in BarbedlVire for Fences, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section of the two-strand wiresshowing the barb formed from a short piece of pointed wire appliedthereto. Fig. 2 is a side view of the barb and a cross-sectional view ofthe twostrand wires on a line adjacent to the barb, and Fig. 3 is a planview showing the barb applied to the strand-wires.

This invention relates to certain improvements in barbed wire for fencesin that class wherein the barbs are formed from short pieces of pointedwire applied to a pair of cabled strand-wires, and the particularimprovement I have made is fully set forth in the followingspecification and claim.

Referring to the said drawings, \V IV represent a pair of ordinaryfence-wires designed to be cabled together, as shown particularly inFig. 1. The barb is formed from a short piece of pointed wire, and whenit is first applied to the strand-wires is centrally bent in the form ofa staple, as is shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, the body B of whichis presented between the strand-wires, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, so itwill be transverse to the strand-wires, and its plane be at right angleswith them,s0 it will yieldingly hold apart the strand-wires at the placewhere the barb is applied by means of said central bend, which forms aU-shaped spring between them for the purpose of giving the cabledstrand-wires greater elasticity than they ordinarily have where the barbis coiled directly on them, or

where they are cabled directly on the rigid body of the barb of anykind.

It is found by actual experience that strand- 5 wires in order to becomeserviceable after having been in use for a time and become rusted, mustbe given more elasticity than is given simply by cabling them together,in order to lengthen their period of durability.

The elasticity developed by means of the spring in the number of barbsthat could naturally be used in alength of forty to one hundred rodswill be sufficient to give the strandwires of that length considerableelasticity and of a kind that is not lost by a strain or tension on thestrand-wires, thereby preventing them from being easily broken,and verymaterially lengthening the term of their durability.

I am aware of the prior use of barbs for this purpose having a centralbend placed flatwise between the strand-wires, but not transversely, asshown, and not forming a yielding support for the strand-wires. Suchconstruction I do not claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is as follows, to wit:

In combination with the strand-wires W W, a barb formed from a shortpiece of pointed wire having its body part bent Ushaped and placedtransversely between said strand-wires to form a spring to yieldinglysupport and hold said wires apart, and having its prods bent back uponand about said strand-wires in opposite directions, one on either sideof said U-shaped spring-body part,and arranged to present twooppositely-projecting prods, as and for the purpose set forth.

HIRAM B. SCUTT.

Witnesses:

THos. H. HUTCHINS, WM. J. HUTOHINS.

